Wednesday, June 29, 2005

I have many wonderful friends here in New England. One thing I did not take into account was the fact that almost all of them will be away this weekend. I say this not because I want my gentle readers to feel pity for me. I say it out of frustration (and maybe a little selfishness- after all, I am an only child). If there was one weekend I need to be surrounded by lots of moral support (and alcohol*), this would be the one. The only people who will be around are two friends who are a couple (and they're leaving on Saturday). And the only other friend staying in town has a new girlfriend. If there is anything more depressing than being newly unemployed with no romantic prospects I imagine it's being newly unemployed, single, and surrounded by happy couples.

Perhaps I shouldn't be so down on myself. I don't want my(slowly growing) audience to think that I am a loser. Just the opposite. I'm dynamic, charming, funny, and intelligent (or so I've been told). I'm also good at crossword puzzles. It's just that we all have our lingering moments of doubt....in ourselves....in our lives.... I suppose that my goal from this point on (or from tomorrow at 5pm) is to make lemonade out of the lemons that corporate America has handed me.

*Let the record show that I am not an alcoholic, but there are some times that call for a stiff drink.

Welcome to my (almost) unemployed life. Thanks to Steve Safran for help picking a name. (And thank you Esther and Chaim for some really fun suggestions).

As of 5pm tomorrow, June 30th, I will be unemployed for the first time since that awkward period following my college graduation in 2001. Despite a fair severance package, I'm scared. Yet I feel as though I have to put up a strong front. I spend a lot of time saying things like "Well, now I can finally take a vacation" or "This will be a great opportunity for me to make a career transition" or "I'll take some classes and maybe get a graduate degree". And I do mean them, just not 100%. Nothing is scarier than the unknown, and unemployment in today's world of outsourcing and downsizing is an ultimate unknown.

The Magic of Technology

So come along with me on my journey to the land of the slackers! (Just remember, I'm not there by choice).